The Chimneys, Number 1 Buxton Road

The Chimneys, Number 1 Buxton Road

An early to mid 19th-century building with 20th and 21st-century alterations, comprising a shop on the ground floor and accommodation on the upper two floors. The accommodation was later enlarged by extension into a single bay of the attached building to the north, which oversails an entrance archway.

The building is constructed of coursed squared sandstone with ashlar quoins and dressings, beneath a Welsh slate covering to a hipped roof incorporating a small square corner chimney. The single bay of the attached building to the north, now forming part of the domestic accommodation above the shop, is built of limestone rubble.

The building forms the L-shaped western end of a linear range on the west side of Buxton Road. It is a three-storey, two-bay range with shop fronts to the east and south elevations and an entrance archway to the north. The return elevation at the south end faces onto a footpath leading to Bagshawe Hill to the west.

The shop front has been extensively restored and features a large plate glass window above a deep stall riser, set back below a shallow cornice. A signage panel occupies the upper part of the shop window, and a set-back doorway with a six-panel door is located to the left of the shop window. The shop front and door are set between two replacement timber pilasters with corbelled heads. Above the shop front is an ashlar band course, which forms the sill of the first floor window. The first and second floor windows have flush stone surrounds and 21st-century eight-over-eight pane sash frames.

The bay to the right of the shop front contains a wide access opening with vertically boarded double doors leading to buildings to the rear of the frontage range, set below a deep segmental arch. Above the arch is a first floor canted bay window with a central 21st-century two-over-two pane sash frame and narrow two-pane flanking lights. The walling above the arch is formed of coursed squared limestone, matching the fenestration details of the four-bay building to the north of the archway. These characteristics, and the different angle of the sandstone-faced bay to the south of the archway, suggest that the arch bay originally formed part of the limestone building but was subsequently altered to form part of the property to the south end.

The two-bay return elevation to the south end has a 21st-century shop window and lintel, beyond which is a doorway with a 21st-century door to the upper floor accommodation. To the left side of the doorway, sharing the same continuous 21st-century lintel, is a 21st-century eight-over-eight pane sash window. The band course from the street elevation continues around onto the end wall, and above this, at each level, are two window openings with 21st-century eight-over-eight pane sash frames set within flush stone surrounds.

The interior has been remodelled and was undergoing further alteration at the time of inspection in March 2019. No visible plan form aspects, fixtures or fittings of special interest were observed at that time. However, blocked openings visible both internally and externally may further enhance understanding of how the building has evolved. Such evidence also indicates the complexity of the interface between historic and modern fabric.